Boise School District launches eight electric school buses for 2026-27

Boise School District will run eight new IC Bus electric school buses in the 2026-27 school year, unveiled at a ribbon-cutting on August 26, 2026 at the district's transportation facility on Gowen Road, according to a release from Highland Electric Fleets. The district was awarded $2.76 million through the US Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program to support the purchase of the buses, per the release, and deployed them with its transportation contractor Durham School Services and with Highland, which handles vehicle and charging deployment and long-term fleet management under its electrification-as-a-service model.

The Idaho Press reported from the ribbon-cutting that the buses sit on the Durham lot alongside the diesel fleet, with charging stations added at a handful of spots, and that district sustainability supervisor Ali Ward said routes will prioritize underserved neighborhoods with greater exposure to vehicle traffic. The paper traced the district's electric-bus effort back to 2023. "It's been a long time coming to electrify our fleets," Ward said.

The federal program that funded the purchase is in flux. The Clean School Bus Program, created in 2021 with $5 billion over five years to replace diesel buses, is one the EPA says it is "actively reviewing and revamping" under President Trump's Unleashing American Energy executive order. Boise's award has already become operating buses. Municipal fleets have been a steady electrification channel this month: Coconut Creek, Florida put an all-electric garbage fleet on the road in August.